Skill Points & Builds

Let's talk about a few things you may not know to be a strong vamp in the world of PvP [Player vs Player].

There are a number of ways that you can build your vamp, but it's best to make this decision as early on into your character as possible. While you can make significant build changes over time, the process takes awhile to do due to the fact that leveling is the best way to gain skill points.

Every build is going to have some give in one direction or another. So choosing your build depends on where you want to give and how you want to play. Do you hate to lose? Do you love to kill or seek revenge? Do you want to play it safe? Keep thinking about these questions and read on about character build types.

Skill Points are of the rarest and most important attributes of the game. The best way to get them is to level, so plan ahead! Below are some variations of generalized character builds. They should offer you some insight to how you'd like to start... and remember that you can tailor your build however you want!

Attack VampThis type of vamp is all about the body count. It has massive attack. In this build, your Rage and Energy may be limited and your Defense is very low. This type of build can usually kill everything in its path. Though the counterbalance to that is that you'll be frequently killed with this type of build. There's no question: you'll be a glass canon!

Attack Rage VampThis type of vamp has loads of attack and can kill. Increased Rage is important to the build. Inthis build, your Energy and Defense will be limited. Does this mean that this type of vamp has no energy and defense? Certainly not. However, Attack will be much higher than Defense and Rage will be tons higher than Energy. If opting for this type of vamp, it's best to remember that you will be killed but instant revenge won't be a problem!

Attack Energy VampThis is the counterbalance of the Attack Rage vamp, with the difference being more Energy than Rage. If opting for this type of build, keep in mind that you cannot kill with Energy. While your attack will be great, you'll be shorthanded on revenge because your Rage will be low!

Balanced VampThis type of vamp keeps their Attack/Defense even. They do have Rage and Energy, though not usually in massive quantities. The thing to keep in mind with this "center of the road" of build is that you'll be overpowered by Attack vamps and underpowered against Defense Vamps. On the other hand, the reverse is also true. Depending on the level/skill differences, you'll smite an Attack vamp and holdfast against a Defense vamp!

Defense VampThis type of vamp builds up defensive Skill Points in massive quantities. They'll have little in attack, rage or energy. While this type of vamp can defend against almost any build extremely well, you'll have a very limited body count and you'll struggle some on Energy for missions!

Defense Rage VampOpposite to the Attack Rage vamp, this build ups the ante on Defense and Rage. It will make way for a quite limited attack and give very little in the way of Energy. The upside is that as with any Defense build, your opponent will be blowing through their Rage as they struggle to take you out!

Defense Energy VampThis is the counterbalance of the Defense Rage vamp, with the difference being more Energy than Rage. This builds up their Defense and Energy. Rage and Attack will be limited on this build, so don't expect the bodies to pile up. On the upside you'll be laughing all the way to the next level while your opponent struggles to kill you as you're gliding through missions like a champ!

Now that you've seen some general directions on builds, an important factor to consider is your ability to level in the game. You'll always need more Skill Points! In order to do that you'll need some amounts of Rage and Energy to gain XP [Experience Points].

Adding Skill Points to Energy will allow you to gain XP by doing missions and aids in Prowling Boss Fights.

Adding Skill Points to Rage allows you to fight/kill other vamp characters to gain XP and is required in Prowling Boss Fights.

If your goal is to get onto a Legends Leaderboard, regardless which one, you will absolutely need rage. The amount should be determined by you. That decision should be made based on what you want to achieve with your vamp to attain a leaderboard position but still keep your preferred play-style intact.

VDS is different from other games in that it's extremely hardcore. This is due to the simplicity inherent to the character builds, which makes for a very obvious Kill Or Be Killed environment. This is the generally the motto of the community and should be embraced!

That said, there's always room for your play-style, your preferences, and your build. It all comes down to what you want from the game. Your desire on the Darkside returns your rewards. As such, there is truly no "wrong" build if you're happy with what you get from your gameplay. In the highly social community of VDS, what makes you happy is an extremely important thing to keep in mind!

Still Not Sure?

Here's a standard method that seems to work for most players: the 2x level + 10 formula.

Simply look at your current level. Double that number, then add 10 points into the Skill area of your choosing. Generally speaking, this formula offers a strong base to whichever skill area(s) you designate it to.

After you've reached this goal formula and as you continue to level, if you start to feel weak in an area, check your skill points there and get them on par with the formula. After some time with this formula you should have a good feeling of where you're strong and where you're weak and can begin to tailor your build even more specifically yo meet your play-style.

As you go, keep in mind that more experienced players may have builds that overpower you in some areas. The only way to counter them is to beef up your weak spots!